A Love Like War
by She's a Pistol
Summary: Kira spent the last year on exchange in America, and she has changed more than her hair since the last time her classmates saw her. While she quietly vies for Kaiba's attention, he is more concerned with one of her friends. Will he come around or will she settle for someone more like...Yugi?
1. Chapter 1

Kira entered the bedroom she had left behind a year ago. Looking around she was almost embarrassed. Her parents hadn't touched a single thing, other than when her mother dusted and vacuumed. The kawaii, bunny-faced, white furniture and pink everything else had to go. She couldn't believe what a year as an exchange student in America had done to her.

Her dad walked in behind her carrying her new duffel bag crammed with stuff from her exchange. He wondered what happened to her cute rolling suitcase and carry on she had left with. He wondered what happened to his daughter, a girl who used to love her raven hair in twin braids to her waist now sported it in dreadlocks (right now tied back in something resembling a ponytail). Her clothing changed too, from her school uniform (she loved it's blue pleated skirt and pink jacket) to baggy, army-style pants and a plain, skin tight black tank top. He had also noticed the ring in her nose, which he would have never allowed had she been in their house.

He didn't even notice the hole in her lip where her other ring went, or that the earrings she wore actually filled the large hole in her earlobe.

"So Kira, how do you like being home?" He asked. She shrugged. He figured she was jet lagged and informed her they would be having dinner at one of the most expensive places in town as a celebration of her return.

"Okay."

He left, trying not to let her indifference bother him. Once the door clicked shut, Kira opened the laptop she had left on her desk while she was gone. She glanced at herself in the bunny-eared mirror attached to the desk. Her makeup around her dark eyes was rather dramatic, her American girlfriends showed her the painstaking wonder of winged liquid eyeliner. She briefly made a mental note to find some place, or someone, to pierce her eyebrow. Twice.

She checked her social media and replied to messages from her American friends. In her news feed she kept getting bombarded by pictures of Yugi Moto, who had won Seto Kaiba's Battle City tournament. Everyone was freaking out about it. Every article cited how embarrassing it was for Kaiba to lose in his own tournament.

She had kept tabs on both classmates during her time abroad. Yugi had always been a quiet sweetheart. Kaiba, on the other hand, was a rude jerk, but something about that was incredibly appealing to her. During her time in the States she had watched some of the duels on TV, since her host siblings were very, very into Duel Monsters. She didn't understand the game at all, and didn't really want to, but watching Yugi, Jounouchi, and Kaiba on TV made her think about them very differently. Her host siblings were absolutely in awe of the fact that she had actually gone to school with these guys. They're the best duelists IN THE WORLD! Didn't she know that?

A friend request suddenly popped up. She checked it. It was Yugi Moto! Why?

She hesitated for a few moments before accepting. What did he want with her? Did he know she was back? Why does he care?

Yugi Moto: Hey Kira! I heard you just got back! How was the US?

Kira Yamada: Yeah, I literally just got home. How did you know?

Yugi Moto: Anzu said she saw you

Oh yeah. Mazaki Anzu lived across the street from their house. Nosey bitch.

The conversation continued for a few more minutes and then Yugi made an excuse to log off. Kira changed her profile picture and logged off herself. By that time it was 5:30, dinner in their house was always at six sharp, so she knew she would have to get ready ASAP.

She left her hair in its tied back state and focused on clothing. While she was on exchange she had swapped clothing with one of her new friends. Thus her cutesy Sweet Lolita-type clothing was now hanging in Sophie's closet and her duffel was full of Sarah's grunge castoffs. She wasn't sure she had anything suitable but not horribly clashing with her new style until she dug through her closet and found a dress her cousin had given her eons ago. It was short, red, off the shoulder, and very sexy. It was something a girl would wear to a club, but at least it wasn't pink or full of lace. She unzipped her bag and dumped the contents onto her floor and pulled apart enough of the mess to find her (Sophie's) black three inch heels.

She spent the last five minutes before her mother started yelling for her reapplying smoky eyeshadow. She grabbed her black leather clutch and checked that everything was in it: smokes, lighter, student ID, Gucci Flora mini perfume, iPhone, eyeliner.

Downstairs her parents were stiffly waiting. Her mother had freaked out a tad bit at the airport upon seeing Kira's changes in appearance. She wasn't about to get over it, either.

"You're not going anywhere dressed like that!" Aiko declared once Kira had defended the staircase.

Kira shrugged. "Okay." She turned around to go back upstairs and undress when her father interjected.

"We have reservations for six, we need to go. Get in the car, we'll talk about your dress on the way."

The whole ten minute car ride was full of Kira tuning out her parents bitching. She wished she had brought her earbuds so she could listen to Black Veil Brides on her phone.

At the restaurant she checked her black leather jacket and followed the hostess to their reserved table in a shadowy part of the back room. Just as well, with the way her parents were acting you'd think she was someone they were ashamed of.

After an attempt to order a glass of wine (vetoed by her parents) and settling for an alcohol-free spritzer, she noticed who was sitting at the table next to them.

How she had missed Seto Kaiba, she had no idea. She was annoyed at her parents for being uptight stiffs and must have been fuming too much to recognize him.

They made eye contact, she could tell he was trying to place her. Her face flushed embarrassingly and she broke his gaze and tried to look cool and aloof by watching a waiter pour water for another table. Their own drinks came and they placed their food orders. Kira was so nervous she wasn't sure she'd be able to eat. She snuck a glance to the side. He was still staring. Quite openly too, he had no qualms about burning holes into someone, that was for sure.

She swallowed and excused herself for the bathroom. She grabbed her clutch and walked past Kaiba's table and snuck out a back door at the end of the bathroom hallway and lit a cigarette with trembling hands. She exhaled a plume of smoke and it helped calm her considerably.

"Kira? Yamada Kira?" A voice to her left accused. She turned and saw her old classmate, Jounouchi Katsuya sitting on an overturned milk crate wearing a filthy white apron and hat.

"Holy shit, Jounouchi. Hi."

His eyes looked about ready to bug out of his head. "Anzu said you were back. Never pegged you for the smoking type!" He exclaimed. "What happened to ya? Almost didn't recognize ya."

She shrugged and took a seat on a milk crate near his. "Just...outgrew my old life, I guess..."

"America do that to ya?" His gaze traveled up and down her body and she finally seemed to realize just how short her dress really was.

"I guess you could say that." She really, really wanted to be done with this conversation. She swiped the cherry on the ground and repacked the rest of the cigarette.

"I gotta go, I told my parents I was going to the bathroom," she explained, distractedly spritzing herself with Gucci Flora.

"A-alright. Um, see you in class on Monday? OH and please don't mention this!" He waved a hand at his apron. "I'm a dishwasher. Trying to save up some money to get a place wit my sister. School doesn't need to know, right?"

She nodded. "As long as you don't mention my smoking."

He grinned. "Deal!"

She gave a small wave and darted back through the door to their table as the food arrived.

"What took you so long? You smell like a whore!" Her mother hissed as she pulled her chair out, noticing that Kaiba's table was now vacant and reset with dishes.

Damn


	2. Chapter 2

School come Monday was a nightmare. Because of the differences in the Japanese school year and the American one, she had a complete year as an American student but half a year as a Japanese one. They decided to let her stay with her class, but it would end up being mostly review. She was fine with that, since she had other things to occupy herself with instead of struggling with academics, one such thing being that Domino High wanted to kick her out for what she had done with her hair. It was against the school uniform to have dreads, and she had to spend the first hour of the morning arguing with the principal over it. She finally convinced him that she had her hair styled that way all through her exchange and since it obviously didn't interfere with her studies there, it wouldn't here, either. It was all about appearance, anyway. She looked like a punk and that's not what Domino High wanted to stand for in the community. She asked him what she should do, shave her head? Would that be better?

He got flustered and kicked her out of his office, chastising her for being late to class on her first day back. She seethed the whole way to class 3-C and slid the door open, interrupting Sato-Sensei.

She stopped writing on the blackboard and stared at Kira. "Can I help you?" She obviously didn't recognize her former student.

"Yamada, Kira."

The class hummed. No one recognized her, besides Jounouchi, and now Kaiba. He was thunderstruck.

"Yamada was the girl at the table next to mine last night? I didn't recognize her!" He cast a glance at Jounouchi who gave her a small wave while she waited in the front of the room for direction to a desk. She nodded back. Since when are her and the mutt friends?

Next to Jounouchi, Yugi stared at Kira with a small, friendly smile. Anzu sat a couple rows behind them whispering something to another classmate about how she had spotted her coming home from the airport.

Kira was finally settled in a desk a row in front of Kaiba but way off to the side by the window, next to Jounouchi. He leaned over and said something to her, and she spoke back but somewhat reluctantly. She glanced over his shoulder at Kaiba and their eyes met. He quickly looked away.

"Yamada?" Jounouchi asked. She looked back at his face.

"Call me Kira," she offered. He grinned excitedly.

"I can do that! You can call me Katsuya." She nodded, trying to get him to shut up. He was too damn friendly. Nobody else called him by his first name, not even Yugi.

"I'm gonna start calling you Joey, okay?"

"Joey? What the hell is Joey?"

"It's an American name. And it's easier." Newly Christened Joey shrugged in agreement.

At lunch Kira left the classroom. Yugi's gang pushed their desks together as usual and they went through their lunch rituals. Bakura, Honda, and Otougi got school lunch at the front of the room while Yugi and Anzu pulled out bentos and Jounouchi didn't eat anything. Kaiba had left the room holding his cell phone to his ear. There were whispers all over about Kira and how she had changed. Some of the rumors were amusing, but Yugi couldn't believe half of what he heard. He wanted to get to know her better for himself before deciding

At the end of lunch both Kira and Kaiba entered the classroom, the former smelling of cigarette smoke. She must have gone to the roof during lunch.

She tried to shake off the nervousness Kaiba unknowingly inflicted on her. She had been smoking on the roof of the rooftop staircase so if a teacher came they wouldn't be able to see her right away. Freaking Seto Kaiba walks out on his cell phone, barking some orders at some sorry bastard at his company.

He crossed the roof and entangled his fingers in the chain link fence surrounding the edge. When he finished his call he pocketed the phone and turned around, finally spotting Kira.

She had this moment planned. She exhaled, stubbed the cigarette out, and calmly pushed off her perch, trying to keep her skirt from flying up. She was actually successful and landed nicely.

"Hi," she said. He just stared. He obviously had a staring problem. She gave him a strange look, but he still doesn't say anything.

"Okay, this is getting awkward. Bye." She rolled her eyes and walked back to the classroom, aware that Kaiba is right behind her.

She gets back to her seat and listens to Joey's conversation with Honda about Honda's new motorcycle. In her pocket her phone vibrates. There's still a couple minutes until the bell so she checks her new message. It was Sarah. She can't help her smile as she replies to her friend's text about how boring everything is without her.

Sarah: I miss our adventures already!

Kira: Go to bed bitch xoxoxo

"What are you smirking about?" Joey asks her. She just about jumped out of her seat.

"You scared the shit out of me!" She hissed in response. The bell rang. Joey leaned over enough to see that Kira's screensaver is a selfie of her and Sophie.

"Who is THAT?" He exclaimed.

"You're nosey!" She replied. Mrs. Sato lost it.

"Jounouchi! Yamada! If you like talking to each other so much, you can stay behind after school and enjoy each other's company in detention!"

Kira shot a look at Joey. "Thanks, Joey. I didn't have any plans after school, anyway!" She huffed sarcastically,

Joey bantered back and they got another detention. Kaiba fought a smirk. Idiots. Yugi and Anzu looked really worried and Otougi and Honda could barely contain their laughter.

Joey and Kira sat in an empty unsupervised room for their detention. Normally a teacher would sit with them but today somehow the teachers had some miscommunication thus they got the room to themselves. Kira instantly pulled out her phone and opened her music. Joey was all over that.

Make a wish on our sorry little hearts

Have a smoke, pour a drink, steal a kiss in the dark

Fingernails on my skin like the teeth of a shark

I'm intoxicated by the lie

She had been singing along quietly while she began her homework.

"Do you sing karaoke? You have a nice voice," Joey commented. She shook her head.

In the chill of your stare I am painfully lost

Like a deer in the lights of an oncoming bus

For the thrill of your touch I will shamefully lust

As you tell me we're nothing but trouble

The words made her think of Kaiba. He was so close, being her classmate, but so far, since they had no reason to talk or be friends. Plus he was kind of a huge dick. She couldn't just walk up to him and ask him to hang out. He was a busy guy.

Joey kept asking questions, she figured he was trying to be friendly but she was more concerned with figuring out how to talk to Kaiba.

Finally the hour was up and they could go home. They each grabbed their bags and packed away what little homework they had completed.

Joey fell into step beside her. "Hey, Kira?"

She clenched her teeth. His voice was really beginning to irritate her.

"What, Joey?"

He either ignored or didn't notice her tone of voice.

Then he got all shy and looked at the ground. "I was wondering if you'd wanna...go see a movie or something? If you're free. Um, I have off work tonight. And I just thought..."

Kira didn't know what to think. She sure as hell wasn't expecting him to say that. To be honest, she didn't have any plans and she was avoiding her parents since she had dinner with them the other night. They kept dropping rude comments, especially her mother.

She threw him a little smile. "Sure, Joey. That sounds fun. Right now?" He grinned.

"Yeah, right now. My dad doesn't care when I come home, if I come home at all. So..."

"Really. My parents don't leave me alone."

"Must be nice," he said, not condescendingly, but casually. That really struck her. She couldn't help but pity him a little. Yeah her parents were annoying but at the end of the day they just wanted what was best for her. Sounded like Joey's dad didn't give a shit what happened to him.

They walked from school into the downtown area. Kira was staring at the Kaiba Corp skyscraper when a black luxury car passed them and beeped obnoxiously. She tried to peer through the darkly tinted window, flipping the car off. There was no reason to be a dick, they were on the sidewalk.

"Wonder what that was about?" Joey commented as they walked into the cinema. They studied the posters of what was playing and decided on a horror flick.

"You gonna be okay? It looks pretty scary," Joey started giving it to her. "But if ya get scared, you can just hold onto me, okay?"

"Psshhhh, whatever, Jounouchi. How about if it's too scary for you, you hold onto me. Okay?"

Joey burst out laughing at that. "You're a trip!"

He wouldn't let her pay for the both of them, or even herself. "This is my treat. A little welcome back present."

"You don't have to cut into your apartment savings for me, Joey." But he wouldn't hear it.

Two hours later they reemerged from the theater. "You're really something!" Joey was exclaiming. "That thing took that guy's head off and you start freaking laughing while everyone else screams! I don't know what to do with you!"

Kira was still giggling over the movie. She gave him a huge smile that made him blush. He managed a smile back. She was in such a good mood she looped her arm around his.

"How about I buy dinner?" She offered playfully. He looked surprised but allowed her to steer him into a pizza place.

"We had this thing in the States on Monday where after school we'd go out to eat to help motivate us to finish the workweek. Most people went out on Friday night, but we needed it on Monday already," she explained to him as they were seated. He listened to her stories completely enraptured.

After they ate, he tried to convince her to go to the arcade with him, but it was already late.

"Sorry, Joey. I really need to get homework done. Don't you? I didn't manage it in detention, or at the movie, or at dinner," she teased him. "My parents are going to freak. Why don't you give me your number and we'll rain check?" As much as she wanted him to be Kaiba, Kira had to admit Joey was a ton of fun.

"I don't have a cellphone. I don't want you calling my home, either, and deal with my dad...why don't I take your number and call you sometime? Or maybe I can steal Yug's phone and text you. If that's okay with you."

She said it was and she got on a bus that would take her to her neighborhood. As the bus pulled away, she watched Joey shove his hands in his pockets and make his way down the sidewalk. She finally checked her phone, which she had turned off while she was with him.

Mom: WHERE ARE YOU

Mom: YOUNG LADY

Mom: I'M CALLING THE POLICE

Kira knew she wouldn't.

Sophie: hey guuurrrllll lol

Sarah: Miss ya bish

Kira responded to the last two and braced herself for her parents.

As she expected, they were sitting in the living room when she entered. After listening to a ton of bitching they let her go to bed where she set up for pulling an all nighter for homework. She just got back, she couldn't let herself fall behind now.

All night she held messenger conversations with her American friends and Yugi, who was also pulling an all nighter, it seemed. She had a dozen other tabs open with information she needed to complete essays and math problems.

On Yugi's end, he hadn't planned on staying up all night, but he wanted to talk to Kira while he had the chance. Joey had called him an hour before with all the details about their "date." Yugi wasn't usually the type to get jealous, but man did that burn him up.

"Ask her if she wants to hang out with you," the Pharaoh suggested quietly. Yugi blushed like mad at that suggestion.

"Um, no. I-I.." His puzzle suddenly ruptured in light and while Yami had the chance at the forefront, he typed.

Yugi Moto: Are you free on Thursday? I'd really like to hang out with you :)

"PHARAOH!" Yugi screeched as he took his body back over and attempted damage control.

Kira Yamada: Sure! What do you have in mind?

Yugi was shocked. "Now what, smarty pants?" He asked Yami.

"Well...Kaiba Land would be fun. And you'd get to know what she likes. There's a lot to do there, even if she doesn't duel." That actually made a lot of sense. He typed his request out and Kira responded that she would love to go.

Yugi Moto: Cool! See you at school. I'm gonna go to bed.

Kira Yamada: Okay. Night.

Yugi signed off and sighed.

"You're welcome," Yami teased. Yugi blushed.

"Shut up!"

"She's cute."

"SHUT UP!"

A/N Idk how many people know this, but in Japan your class is in one classroom and the teachers go around to the different classes. Teachers share a homeroom where they have a desk and grade papers and stuff. High school is also not mandatory in Japan. Which is why I think it's very interesting that Jounouchi goes at all, since he's such a punk. Pretty sure in Japan a school year is like January-December, and when you come back from summer vacation you're still in the same year but after winter vacation you go up a grade. If I remember correctly.

I admit this is a little PWP so far. I need to rewatch some of the series.


End file.
